CISCO and Telstra could be big winners with the expanded footprint of the government's national telepresence system.
More than $19 million will be set aside over five years to establish more telepresence sites that will enable officials in Canberra, states and territories to communicate via high-definition and secure video conferencing links.
"This expansion will increase the number of concurrent meetings able to be held and the number of locations which can be connected to a meeting.
"This will reduce the need for public sector travel for meetings," Budget 2013 papers stated.
Utilising telepresence technology to reduce the government's hefty air travel bill and increase efficiency was the brainchild of former Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner.
